We are serving in the Bangkok, Thailand Mission. From time to time we will update this page to inform you of our wonderful mission. Thanks for checking in! Let me know about how you are doing and create a blog!

Experiences in Thailand on Our Mission

After the Flooding, Huge Humanitarian Effort

In Front of The New Chapel in Bangkok

In the Chapel putting Relief Bags together

Friday, February 10, 2012

January 2012

This is more of an update from December 2011 and January 2012. Sorry its been a while. From the flood, to the humanitarian projects and other missionary work, we have been very busy. There has been so many good things happening though and I wanted to spend a few moments to share them with you all. For almost a month, we spent many hours daily at the airport putting supplies together and making sure they were shipped to all the areas in need. The Church did a great work here and was a big part in ensuring the needs were taken care of all people here. We were presented with recognition from the Thai government for the effort the Church made. It was very good publicity for the work of the Lord. During these times, it seems that the service the Lord asks us to do is magnified and we love knowing that people see the good things happening. It was a hard time to deal with and many families were displaced. Things are almost back to normal, but we know that we have a lot of good things to do to teach the gospel and be examples to them.

We have been conducting many missionary firesides in different branches in Thailand. This last month, we went to Phisanulok Branch to visit the members there for our Church meetings. After church, we took a quick lunch and helped with a Missionary Fireside. We talked about missionary work and how the members could refer people to the full-time missionaries in their area. The Phisanulok Branch is in the Chiang Mai District, in northern Thailand. We have had great response and the missionaries have been busy. The members have learned that they cannot be shy and not be afraid of sharing the gospel. It has made them happy and something good that they talk about continually to each other. We believe that this effort with strengthen themselves and the branch in a lot of ways. We do the same things each time and help members to refer their friends to the full time missionaries. We also have been working to follow up with the new members and visit less active members to bring them back to church.

Of course, we have been busy helping the missionaries in our area teach with their families. We love being a part of those discussions and being an example of a Thai couple understanding the Gospel.

We went to Ubon District Conference with our Mission President and I also help new brothers who have been ordained as new Elders to learn how to bless the sick and afflicted. We made sure that each have consecrated oil in their home for their family. It always been great to travel to another districts out of Bangkok.

We took four Senior Couples missionaries to visit our relative for the new year . We all enoyed dinner and they learned how Thai people celebrate New year’s. We also taught them how to make Somtum, as we know as Papaya Salad. We will make sure that you all know how to make it too when we get back.

By the end of the year, Sister Seangsuwan have been very busy following up with all branches, district to collect the Thailand Church History from each branch to send them to Hong Kong, and Utah to get the work done for them. By doing this, we have also been able to ensure all of our work for the next generation could get done and that the Thailand Church History is being used.

It seems like Sister Seangsuwan and I continue to receive additional callings. We have been very busy, because they also do not release us from our other callings. They must know we love to work hard. Each year, the leaders in Thailand received the training from the Asia Area Presidency. My assignment was to make sure that all district presidencies from Ubon, Chiang Mai, Khonkean, Udon are able to get the air tickets and hotels finalized. I didn’t realize how hard it is to be a travel agent and make sure things were done perfectly, but we got it done. That is one assignment I have as the Executive Secretary to the Mission Presidency.

As member of the Bangkok North District High Council, my assignment was to speak at Bangken Branch. The topic was "Being Prepared during a Flood.” We definitely had experience to talk about that.

We have also been assigned to work with another couple and do some work with the Thai government office. We visited the former Thailand Prime Minister, on January 16th and the Newspaper Agency in Bangkok. We gave them a presentation on the donations the Church made for blankets and mosquito nets to the rural areas.

And finally, they recently called me to be the Director of the Thailand Media Committee. There, we will be getting more in front of media and ensuring that people can hear more of what the Gospel can do in their lives. We will work very hard in getting the Liahona to member and nonmember homes.

We hope that all is well for you in Utah and that you know we love you all. We love the work of the Lord and plan on doing this for as long as we can!!

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Thailand Mission Photos

Preston and Tanner Saying Hello to Grandma and Grandpa

It was a great time at Ching Mai that all Seniors there, and would like to post their names as follows; Elder and Sister Oldham, Elder and Sister Cook, Elder and Sister Facer, Elder and Sister Gonzales, Elder and Sister Greenwood, Elder and Sister Hatch, Elder and Sister Jones, Elder and Sister Laing, Elder and Sister McPhie, Elder and Sister Sitivong, Elder and Sister Snow, Elder and Sister Wasson, Elder and Sister Jones, Elder and Sister Meakley

January 27, 2008 to Present

We have been assigned to work in the Udonthani District. We have been given assignments to teach new and less active members by using book "Preach my Gospel." We work with less active members and we take part in humanitarian service. We have also been teaching teens on drug and alcohol prevention and keeping the law of chastity and the word of wisdom.

Sister Seangsuwan and I have also been asked to help with the training of the church leaders in this area. We have been in Udon since Jan 27. and do not know how long we will be in this district, it is up to the Mission President. We love the people here and love working with the other missionaries.

We have contacted about 44 families which 7 families are being taught the discussions. Our Mission President asked me to preside and train the leaders in Udon district on March 8. He and his wife are very happy to have us working with the people in this area. We are really happy and enjoy our assignment. For the most part the Thai people in this area open the doors and let us in to teach there family members. They are humble and happy to see Senior Missionaries come to their homes.

Our testimony has grown due to our assignment of teaching the truth of the gospel of the Lord to His children. Our most memorable moment so far is when we introduced ourselves to them that we are from Utah and come to serve the Lord in Thailand, eventhough, we miss our children and grandkids. Serving and leaving family is such a small sacrifice for such a great purpose. It helps us understand more of the great work that we are doing. We work each day and love to serve. Sister Seangsuwan loves to study scripture more and more and is doing her best to learn how to teach the gospel. She still loves to talk alot and share her testimony. We should teach only 30 minutes, but she still goes on and on and the converstation ends up over one and half hour each family.

I told her not to worry about the family at home. When we work hard we know that the Lord will take care of them. So far, we love to serve the Lord in Thailand as well as eat the Thai food. Wednesday is our Preparation day. Sister Seangsuwan does alot of window shopping but does not buy anything. She just likes to look around and I love to follow her. In the evenings, we return back to Church to help young missionaries teaching ESL and we also are able to meet new people to teach. In class, the last 10 minutes, I was introduced as Guest Speaker to teach something that I have learn in the US and answer their questions.

We have had a great experience on our mission and love all of you! Thank you so much for your support! More comments and pictures to come.

Email from Elder and Sister Oldham

Their words and message are sweet and I wanted to share to you how the work is progressing in other parts of Thailand:

Dear Family and Friends,

On our early morning walks, we watch young monks leave their wat and begin the morning ritual of being fed along the streets by devoted Buddhist women. The women prepare sticky rice, dress in their nicest clothes, kneel beside the road in front of their homes, and then wait for the monks' arrival. After receiving the rice into their "silver" bowls, the monks chant a blessing on the women and then walk on down the road to another home. I have wondered if these lovely women occasionally also think of the time when their own sons were monks and hoped that a kind woman would feed them--perhaps not unlike LDS missionary moms feeding local missionaries and hoping at the same time that someone is taking care of their own sons or daughters. (See the attached pictures)

It is traditional for all men in Lao to become monks at least once in their life in order to devote all time to Buddha, learn more about him, and to practice self denial. While one young man was very sick, his parents promised that he would spend 3 months as a novice monk if he recovered. Shortly after his recovery, the father shaved his son's head and went with him to the wat (temple) to help him enter. He took his new robes and someone showed him how to put them on his left shoulder. Isn't it wonderful to think how most cultures have bits and pieces of truth as they strive to serve God.

I think life as a novice must be quite hard for young teenage boys since they may not eat anything after 12:00 noon and must get up at 4:00 a.m every morning. They are awakened by drums beating to drive away evil spirits, then they pray and clean the wat. At 6:00 the bells toll and they begin their barefoot walk to collect food. With 197 wats in Vientiane, 2 of them behind our hotel apartment, we get to hear lots of bells along with drums and roosters.

We have a plum assignment here and we're so grateful to our Heavenly Father for His loving guidance, mercy and patience with us. We love seeing first hand how the gospel changes people, how it radiates from our Branch member's faces, and is in turn noticed by those with whom they associate in other capacities. This week, 2 people who have been attending Elder and Sister Jone's English classes along with a few Branch members, noticed the difference and asked to know more about our organization. The Jones couldn't tell them, but they could and did tell them where we meet on Sundays. That is the way our Branch grows--it is the fastest growing Branch in the Thailand, Bangkok Mission even though we have no proselyting missionaries here. It is really quite remarkable.